Material and method for stimulating growth of hair



ressed Nov. so, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

wm, 01' new YORK, I. Y., ASSIGNOR T HENRY C. RAGEL, TRUSTEE.

:nra'rnutur. am: Mon I0]!- srnrmrme enowrn or mm.

Io Drawing.

The materi p Y growth of hair, and 1s based upon my disresent invention relates to a novel I lack of a proper growth of hair, by administering to the system, the materials from which hair can be elaborated by the normal means, to persons who are apparently suffering from a lack of the normal hair constituents or from a lack of the ability to cause the normal constituents to produce a proper growth of hair. V I

As is well known, hair is a keratlnous material, and as the basis of the present 1nvention, I preferably employ keratin, m forms in which it is readily procurable, and subject the same to such a degreeof hydrolysis as to convert the same largely or sub- 1 stantially into amino acids,'polypeptides 2c and the like.

, Human hair is different from most other kinds of keratinous material, such as animal hair, hoofs, horn, feathers, wool. and the like, in that human hair contains, as a con- 2 stituent of its keratin, a much larger amount of cystine than is present in ordinary keratin. Y

In accordance with the present invention, the keratin or material containing keratin or consisting largely of keratin, such as those above referred to, is first subjected to hydrolysis, preferably a rather complete hydrolysis, either in the resence of an acid or alkali. The mode 0 accomplishing this step can vary, a simple method is tofirstclean the hair or other keratin material (horse hair being mentioned by way of example), by giving the same a washing and brushlng operation, after which the fats and other fattywsuhstances are removed by extraction with ether/chloroform, benzol, carbon tetrachloride, or similar solvents, this operation leaving substantially pure keratin, but 1n an insoluble condition. The cleaned and ex? tracted hair can then be placed, at room temperature, say into hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid, of about 25% strength. This. canbe allowed to stand at room temperature untilthe hair has dissolved. If desired, the reaction can be accelerated by heating, and the heating can be conducted at normal pressure or' at super-atmospheric pressure in an autoclave if desired. It will beobvious that when heat is to be employed,

acids of considerably lower strength than 25% can be employed, and obviously the and process for stimulating the Application fled October 12, 1925. Serial No. 62,187.

concentration of the acid should'be ,below' that which would cause any substantial 1, amount of charring of the ha r material. covery that it is possible to overcome the In a modified form 'of the process, I can start with barium hydroxide as the reagent for effecting the h drolysis of the keratin, this reaction can he conducted at atmospheric pressure, but is preferably effected at asomewhat higher temperature, the concentration of the barium hydroxide being ad justed to suit the temperature at which the same is to be employed. When thisis to beemployed at room temperature, a solution of about 10% strengthwill be found to be suflicient. r J

When the hair has been dissolved, the solution can be filtered if desired to separate any insoluble material, and is then neutralized, with acids or alkalies, to substantial neutrality (to litmus). For neutralizing the hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid solution, I can use chalk, soda orithe like, and for neutralizing the excess of barium hydroxide I can employ sulphuric acid if desired. The invention however is not restricted' to the use of particular reagents for the hydrolysis of the keratin, nor for the neutralization of the resulting solution. Various other methods of producmg thehydrolysis of the keratin will be 'obvious to those skilled inrthe art. Any insoluble precipitates produced in the neutralization step Wlll of course be removed, e. g. by filtration,

leaving the products of the hydrolysis in soution.

The solution having thus been neutralized,

it is evaporated to dryness, this operation bemg preferably conducted in vacuum, at a temperature too low to produce any substantial amount of decomposition, of the materials.

Either before, durin or after the eva'othe addition of a certain amount of cystine,

ordinarily about 12-15% based upon the albuminate content of the original materialunder treatment.

It will be understood that the hydrolyzed material, afterneutralization and evaporation to dryness will consist lar 1y of mono amino acids and di-amino acids, polypeptides and the like, these materials being cadissolved in the intestinal juices.

pable of conversion in the human organism into hair, if present in available condition 'in suflicient proportions. j

After evaporation to dryness, and after addin cystine if desired, the material can be re need to the form of a syrup or powder and thoroughly mixed.

The medicine is then in a completed condition, and is preferably taken into the sy..- tem as a pill or capsule. The material is preferably placed into capsules made of a material which is substantially unacted upon or undissolved in the stomach but is readily Ca sules of this character are Well known int e art and need not be described in detailhere.

The average dose can vary between wide limits, and for an adult I propose to give, two or three times a day, for a period of say about?) to 4 weeks, doses of say 7 to 10 grains, although it will be understood that the invention 1s in no way restricted to this particular dosage, which may be increased or decreased as desired, and an 'excess of the material does not seem to produce any harmful effects upon the human system.

It will be noted that heretofore most in-' vestigators have endeavored to promote the growth of hair by applying suitable external medicines to the scalp or to the portion of the scalp where the hair is missing or is scanty. In accordance with the present invention, the medicine is taken internally, preferably by the mouth.

The prmcipal ingredient of the medicine, so far as affects the growth of hair, is cystine and this constituent is much higher in human hair than in most of the other keratin materials which are readily procurable. In accordance with the rule of minimum proportions, I preferably add enough cystine to the material to bring this amino acid mixture.

to the composition of human hair than are other keratinous materials, which lattercontain most of the other amino-acid constituents of human hair in about the same percentage as human hair.

I claim 1. In the art of stimulating hair growth, the herein described improvement which comprises the internal administration of hydrolyzed keratin, split u into polypeptides ancLamino acids, toget er with an a ditional amount of cystine, forstimulation of hair growth by suppIying to the body the specific albumoid components necessary for the composition of the hair.

2. In the art of "stimulating growth of hair, the herein. described improvement which comprises administering internally the amino acids and polypeptides of the character possessed by the products of substantially complete hydrolysis of keratin, in assimilable condition, in a proximately the proportions presentin normal hair can be formed.

3. An ingestible material suitable for stimulating growth of hair, which comprises a completely hydrolyzed keratin material in an ingestible container which container is of material not substantially attackable by the gastric juice, but which is readily dis solved by the intestinal digestive fluids. Y

uman hair, to furnish the normal constituents from which 4. An ingestible material suitable for stimulating growth of hair, which comprises a completely hydrolyzed keratin material,

together with an additional amount of I cystine, in an ingestible container which container is of material not substantially attackable by the gastric juice, but which is readily dissolved by the intestinal digestive.

fluids.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. ARTHUR WEIL. 

